Julia Child's legacy goes beyond tools, techniques

From the timesaving tools and French techniques she loved to a famously dropped dinner, Julia Child left a lasting impression on a generation of cooks.

In the forthcoming biographical movie, "Julie &amp; Julia," Meryl Streep channels America's first celebrity chef. As the movie opens, chefs and food magazine editors remember the real Child's vast contributions to American home cooking -- a scholarly yet accessible approach to recipes, an enthusiasm for efficiency and above all, a spirited sense of fun.

At the most basic level, Child introduced home cooks to their stoves, knives, pots and pans, said chef Jacques Pepin, Child's longtime friend and collaborator.

"We're in a country where we have to cook very, very fast with the microwave or very, very slow with crock pot cooking. Then you have the regular stove that's lost in the middle," he said.

He said he most remembers Child's great love for life and the great pleasure she took in cooking as well as eating.

"You often see people cook and never taste. For her, it was cook, taste, cook, taste, cook, taste. With a little sip of wine on the side," he said.

Chef Alice Waters of Chez Panisse said Child emphasized that cooking was important, but need not be serious business.

"I think of her sense of humor, her joie de vivre about cooking and really about her interest in gastronomy -- her academic insistence on writing the recipe right," said Waters. "It was curiosity and exploration and learning all folded together to make food an art. That's what she did."

Tina Ujlaki, executive food editor at Food &amp; Wine magazine, said she often thinks of Child when she has kitchen mishaps.

"I don't think, What would Julia do?' I just do what she would do: Keep on going," she said. "That was a really big part of the Julia liberation. Not only did she teach the techniques ... she said, It's OK. Relax. It doesn't have to be perfect.' "

That said, there are certain processes or gadgets that Ujlaki associates with Child. "I can't cut up a chicken without thinking of her and how lovingly she would cut it up," she said.

And Child did not shy away from modern appliances or tools if they made cooking easier, she said.

"She probably used more gadgets than they used in typical French cooking," she said. "She was always very quick to embrace anything that made sense, but I don't think she had silly gadgets or gizmos. She didn't like clutter."

"If something worked well, for example, she really couldn't care less if it was traditional or not; efficiency in the kitchen was always to be embraced," he said.

The food processor is a perfect example, he said.

"When it was first introduced, I remember thinking that I probably should just ignore it, since chopping things by machine rather than by hand couldn't possibly be right. Then Julia endorsed it, and like hundreds of thousands of other American cooks, that convinced me to give it a try. Think of the millions of hours of chopping that she has saved by her openness to new ideas."

It's all about the whisk for Lucinda Scala Quinn, editorial director of food at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

Quinn cooked her way through Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" as a teenager, discovering the many uses for whipped egg whites and cream, from meringue to Swiss buttercream to butter.

Tanya Steel became a fan of Child's at age 8. "I literally learned every single thing from Julia Child," said Steel, editor in chief of epicurious.com.

Like others, Steel cites Child's ability to make cooking accessible and fun as her chief contribution to the culinary world. But in terms of technique, she counts roasting as the one that has meant the most to her over the years.

"The one technique that became my infallible, go-to technique is roasting because the most basic thing turns out the most delicious dinner," she said. "I roasted a chicken about 10 different times based on watching her on the French Chef' until I felt like I had gotten it right."

Eve Felder, associate dean for culinary arts at the Culinary Institute of America, said Child's legacy lies in taking the mystique out of fine cooking techniques that up until her time were not available to home cooks. "I can't tell you the number of friends I have who self-taught themselves by going through her books," she said.

When Child first started teaching Americans the fundamentals of French cooking, they tended to use electric beaters for basic blending and mixing. Then she introduced them to the wire whisk. She used whisks in numerous recipes, including sauces, creams and soups, as well as for beating eggs and encouraged cooks to get a variety of sizes, including a large balloon whisk for beating egg whites.

Child didn't think much of American-style rolling pins, also called bakers' rolling pins. These pins are characterized by a solid dowel held by two handles. And in a classic moment on her public television series, "The French Chef," Child called those pins toys and tossed one over her shoulder.

Child favored the French-style pin, which is a solid hardwood dowel with no handles. She advises getting a pin that is about 18 inches long with a diameter of about 1﻿34 inches.

FRENCH OMELET

2 extra-large or 3 large or medium eggs

Large pinch salt

Several grinds black pepper

1 teaspoon cold water (optional)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus extra to garnish

Several sprigs parsley, to garnish

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt, pepper and water, if using, until just blended. Set aside.

Place a nonstick skillet over high. Add the butter and tilt the pan in all directions to coat the bottom and sides. When the butter foam has almost subsided but just before it browns, pour in the eggs.

Shake the pan briefly to spread the eggs over the bottom of the pan, then let the pan sit for several seconds undisturbed while the eggs coagulate on the bottom. If adding any fillings, such as sauteed vegetables, do so now.

Start jerking the pan toward you, throwing the eggs against the far edge. Keep jerking roughly, gradually lifting the pan up by the handle and tilting the far edge of the pan over the heat as the omelet begins to roll over on itself. Use a rubber spatula to push any stray egg back into the mass. Then bang on the handle close to the pan with a fist and the omelet will start curling at its far edge.

To unmold, maneuver the omelet to one side of the pan. Fold the third of the omelet furthest from you over on itself. Lift the pan and hold a serving plate next to it. Tilt the pan toward the plate, allowing the omelet to slide onto it and fold over on itself into thirds.

Spear a lump of butter with a fork and rapidly brush it over the top of the omelet. Garnish with parsley.

In a food processor, combine the all-purpose flour, cake flour, salt and butter. Pulse five to six times in 12-second bursts to break up the butter. Add the shortening, then immediately add the ice water while pulsing two or three times.

The dough should resemble a mass of small lumps that hold together when pressed. If the dough is too dry, pulse in additional water, a few droplets at a time. When the dough is ready, transfer it to the counter.

With the heel of your hand, rapidly and roughly push egg-size blobs out in front of you in 6-inch smears. Gather the dough in a relatively smooth cake, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least two hours and up to two days. It also can be frozen for several months.

When ready to bake, use butter to coat a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom.

Cut the chilled dough in half and reserve one piece, refrigerated, for another use. On a lightly floured counter, rapidly roll the remaining piece of dough into a circular shape about 18 inch thick and 1﻿12 inches larger than the tart pan. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and unroll onto the pan. Lightly press the dough into place.

To make sturdy sides, fold the excess dough into the pan against the sides, smoothing the top edge as you go.

Prick the bottom of the dough all over with a fork. Cover with plastic wrap, then chill for at least 30 minutes before baking.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 450 degrees. When the tart shell has chilled, use butter to coat the shiny side of a sheet of foil several inches larger than the tart shell. Lightly press the foil, buttered side down, into the chilled tart shell along the sides and bottom.

To prevent the bottom from rising and the sides from falling, fill the shell with beans, rice or pie weights.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the bottom of the tart shell is set but still soft. Remove the foil and beans, prick the bottom again with a fork, then bake for another two minutes.

Remove the tart shell from the oven and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Break the bacon into pieces and scatter them in the tart shell.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour the mixture into the tart shell, filling to within 18 inch of the rim. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until puffed and browned.